9 Spring Cleaning Tips and Hacks

I love spring cleaning. There’s something so satisfying in ridding your home of the clutter. If you missed my post, “5 Tips for Purging” you should check it out. I talk about practical ways to start the purge process.

Spring cleaning isn’t just purging… It’s actually a good deep clean. I tend to lean a bit towards the OCD side when it comes to cleanliness level. I like my home to be spotless. Messes make me crazy. I can’t focus when I’m surrounded by mess. Living in a house full of boxes these past three weeks has just about driven me up a wall. Matt & I made some moves this weekend though and got a lot of our unpacking finished. Let me know if you’d like to see an organization post on my closet.

Speaking of closets, with all the unpacking, we boxed up tons of stuff to donate or give away. I saved some special pieces to add to my Poshmark shop, so if you live in the US and you’re interested in shopping my closet, be sure to follow me there. If you’re new to Poshmark, use code: JTHJG to get $5 off your first order. (This is not sponsored BTW… I just love Poshmark!)

9 Spring Cleaning Tips and Hacks

Give your towels a refresh. Ever notice that your bath towels start to lose absorbency? I’ve found that’s usually because of fabric softener build-up. Every so often, I like to use this trick to freshen up my towels: One cycle with hot water and one cup of white vinegar. Then run them through a second cycle with cold water and half a cup of baking soda. Dry as normal. I first discovered this remedy on Pinterest about five years ago and I couldn’t believe the difference it made in my towels!

Wipe down your baseboards and blinds/shutters. These two jobs are perhaps my least favorite housekeeping tasks. I prefer using my vacuum attachment first to remove dust then going over them with a damp microfiber cloth. If you have a baseboards hack, please let me know… I’d love to find a way to make this job less painful. I also use a damp microfiber cloth on our plantation shutters.

Deep clean the microwave. This one isn’t terrible. I fill a bowl with water and several drops of vanilla extract. I microwave my water/vanilla concoction for at least three minutes then immediately wipe down the inside of the microwave with a cloth.

Clean out your hair drawer and brushes. Oh girl, you’re not fooling me… We all have a hair drawer that holds our dryer, curling iron, brushes and about 1,000 loose bobby pins. I try to empty mine out every single spring and start from the bottom up. I clean out all dust and debris from the drawer (and all of my bathroom drawers for that matter). Collect all the loose bobby pins, hair clips and bands and throw out the ones that have seen their day. I now organize my bobby pins and hair ties into small glass jars to keep things tidy. I also clean out all the nasty hair from my brushes and combs and deep clean them in hot soapy water. Trust me, you’ll feel such a sense of relief the next time you open that drawer and see clean brushes and organization where there was once craziness and loose hairs.

Deep clean the fridge, freezer and pantry. Check expiration dates. Toss the stuff you know no one is going to eat. Remove the shelves and trays and clean them with hot soapy water.

Don’t forget the utensil drawer and tupperware cabinet. I couldn’t believe how many pieces of tupperware I had without matches. Those things are like socks; their matches just always seem to come up missing!

Flip the mattresses. Unless you have a pillow-top of course.

Clear out that magazine rack. I’m guilty of constantly letting my magazine stacks grow way too large. I love the idea of donating your magazines to local women’s shelters or doctor’s offices to repurpose them… Just be sure to remove your name and address from the cover.

Give your purse and wallet some TLC. Trash all the old receipts, expired coupons and credit cards. If your wallet and handbag need repaired, now’s the time to do it. Your shoe repairman typically also works on handbags, so stop in and get that zipper fixed, lining stitched and bag shined up.

My fave thing to do is bringing out all my spring/summer clothes and going through them to find what I can get rid of so I can add new stuff! My mom’s job puts on a huge yard sale twice during the summer so it’s nice to sell stuff there. A lot of my clothes are in really good condition–they are just not my style anymore or they don’t fit.

I love this tip for cleaning your microwave! I am going to try that! I actually like using a swifter with a damp cloth on it for going over baseboards and then I’m not crawling around on the ground lol.
Xo, Nikki | http://www.thefashionableaccountant.com

Yes, organization post please! I do all your cleaning ideas! I love the smell of a freshly bleached apartment! #2, I put an old sock on my hand & wipe down my blinds that way. I recently threw my shower curtain & liner in the washer/dryer & they didn’t ruin! I was so proud! I also wash all my bras in my bathtub weekly, giving my bathtub a nice washing too. ?